Matter Of Time
by Usami
Summary: /songfic, Sequel to 'Nothing At All'/ After all his friends are paired off with each other, Numbuh 2 feels kind of lonely. A trip to the park, however, shows that he's not alone...


Okay, I got a request for this, so I'm putting it up. So, this is dedicated to **Pristine Crystal Fox.** Whether you read it or not, that's your decision, but I still put this up. So **Pristine Crystal Fox**, I hope you enjoy!

"Matter Of Time" © Dreamstreet

**Matter of Time**

Numbuh 2 walked around the familiar tree house, looking for his other four teammates. He had wandered around that large fort for almost half an hour, and still found no trace of them.

He stopped walking, trying to think. 'I wonder where they could be,' he thought. 'Maybe they're in the common room.' With that in mind, he headed over there to check.

'Maybe I shouldn't go there,' he thought suddenly as he continued to walk. 'They might be doing…'couple' things, and I don't want to disturb them. But then again, that's all they've really been doing.'

For the past two weeks, Numbuh 2's team had been hitting it off very well. 'First, Numbuh 3 and 4, then Numbuh 1 and 5. I don't know how each got together, because they really didn't want to talk about it, but I'm glad for them. At least _they're_ happy.'

Even though he was truly happy for his friends, he couldn't help but feel kind of left out. Ever since his friends got together, they had been doing things without him, either as one couple, or two couples. Numbuh 1 and 5 would go hang out, Numbuh 3 would take something from Numbuh 4, or all four of them would do something together, asking him to watch the tree house. 'I know we're all still friends,' he finally admitted, 'but we just won't be the _same_ anymore.'

The doors of the common room opened, and Numbuh 2 looked up to see his friends. He tilted his head to the side in puzzlement.

Numbuh 3 and 4 had gone back to their 'run-and-chase' game, as they often did nowadays. Apparently, Numbuh 3 had taken one of Numbuh 4's favorite CDs, and he wanted it back. Though Numbuh 4 had told them that Numbuh 3 liked it when he chased her, Numbuh 2 couldn't help but get the feeling that he _enjoyed_ chasing her.

When he had finally caught her and taken his CD, she leaned towards him and placed a kiss on his lips, as what always happens.

Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 5, the round boy noticed, were sitting together on the couch, reading a book together. Numbuh 5 was leaning against Numbuh 1, her head resting on his shoulder as she read the book he held, and his arm was around her, pulling her closer to him.

Numbuh 2 couldn't help but feel a little jealous of all of them. After all, not only do they spend a lot of time without him, but they had someone who cared for them _that_ way, to care for.

He didn't want to sound jealous. He really _was_ happy for them. But still…

Numbuh 3 finally noticed her other teammate. "Hey, Numbuh 2!" she said, waving.

Numbuh 1, putting the book down, pulling himself away from Numbuh 5 to sit up. Reluctantly, she got up off him. "Greetings, Numbuh 2," the leader said. "Anything we can do for you?"

Numbuh 2 snapped out of his brief rumination. "Huh? Oh…n-no…It's just that…I…wanted to tell you that…I-I'm…going for a walk."

Numbuh 1's sunglasses slid down the bridge of his nose, his eyes looking at the round operative over the rim. "A walk?" he echoed.

"Yeah. I'll…I'll be back later." And with that, he turned and left.

"Hm…" Numbuh 1 let out the thoughtful sound. "Maybe I should go see if he's alright…" But, as he started to get up, he stopped as Numbuh 5 gently clasped her hand over his wrist.

"Numbuh 5 thinks Numbuh 2 wants ta be alone for awhile," the dark girl said.

"Yes, but…"

"Numbuh 2'll talk to us in time. For now, I think we should give him time to sort things out."

"'e's prob'bly awright," Numbuh 4 said, trying to get the rainbow monkey Numbuh 3 was showing him out of his face. "Maybe 'e jus needs some air, or somethin'."

But Numbuh 1 couldn't help but wonder about their fellow operative.

* * *

Numbuh 2's feet left marks in the damp soil as he walked in the familiar park. He remembered that he and the others used to go this very park and play around, before they joined the Kids Next Door, and before they all paired off with each other. 

He wanted to be happy for them. He _was_ happy for them. But…was it wrong to wonder what would happen to him? He was only human right?

Looking up, he noticed that he wandered into the playground that they used to play in, when they were younger. He missed those times, when they were all together.

On the swing-set, though, he noticed a girl, around his age, sitting there, swinging slowly back and forth. The round boy wouldn't have thought much of it at first, but upon closer observation, he realized that the girl looked awfully familiar. Her red-orange braids rested on her shoulders, and she looked down at the ground through large-framed glasses.

'Lizzie!' he thought. 'What's she doing here? Wait…is…is she crying?'

And indeed she was. The crystalline tears pooled out of her eyes, descending to the ground.

He wasn't sure what to do at first. He just stood there for a moment, wondering what to do. He could feel tears welling up in his own eyes. He didn't like seeing others crying.

He approached her slowly, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket. Standing next to her, he gently tapped her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes widened with wonder and surprise.

Wordlessly, he handed her the handkerchief, and she accepted it. As she looked back at him, he encouraged her, and she nodded, wiping her eyes beneath her glasses.

After she had finished, she looked back up at him. "Y-you're Nigel's friend, a-aren't you?" she stuttered.

He nodded, holding his hand out to her. "We never really met," he said. "I'm Hoagie."

She grasped his hand in a handshake. "I'm Lizzie."

He sat on the swing adjacent to her. "Yeah, I know."

They sat in silence for a moment, as a comforting wind blew around them.

"So," Numbuh 2 finally said, "what's wrong? I mean, you wouldn't cry like that if something was wrong."

"Well…" she said, looking back at the ground, "I…I miss Nigie."

"You what?"

"I miss Nigie," she repeated.

"Miss him? But you were the one who broke up with him."

She looked at him, her eyes ablaze. "That doesn't mean that I wanted to! I did it for him!"

"W…w-what do you mean, 'did it for him'?"

"I…" She looked down at the ground again. "I…I knew he wasn't happy with me…and I could tell he liked someone else…so I let him go…"

"Well…if you liked him so much, why did you do that?"

"Because…I cared for him…and…I just wanted him to be happy…"

Numbuh 2 looked on at her, as she continued to look at the ground. When he had first met Lizzie, he had thought she was kind of mean, always trying to get Numbuh 1 to hang out with her, and never leaving him alone. But now…she seemed pretty nice.

"But…" she continued, "I miss him a lot."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Nigie was my only friend, really. But now…he probably has another girl, and I won't seem him around anymore."

Numbuh 2 looked down at the ground. 'Yeah…that's true.'

**I know you want to make things right  
****To move ahead, find a way to win the fight  
****And though it's hard to keep the faith  
****We'll make it through, if we take it day by day**

She sighed, drawing in the sand with her foot. "Is Nigie happy now? I mean…how is he?"

"Oh…Numbuh 1's great. He and Numbuh 5 are really hitting it off well together, and they seem really happy."

"I see." A small smile appeared on her lips, though it seemed a rather sad smile. "I'm glad for him. At least he's happy. I just wish I can be like that."

"Sure you can," Numbuh 2 said. "Maybe we both can."

She looked up at him.

"Who knows?" He looked over at her. "Maybe we can."

**They say that all good things  
****Will come to those who wait  
****And if we believe in each other  
****I know we can make it together**

"We?" she asked.

He nodded. "I…I kinda know how you feel."

"You do?"

He nodded again. "Well…I want to happy for my friends, too, but…they are all together like that, and they're all having fun and hanging out with each other. The point is, though…is that they're having fun _without_ me. I mean, I'm used to it being the five of us. It can get kind of lonely, sometimes, and depressing."

She nodded. "I'm sure it is."

"Especially when they're right there with me. It's just kinda weird, though."

Another moment of silence settled over them.

"So what are we going to do, Hoagie?" she asked.

"Well…I guess we're just going to have to wait, huh?"

**Baby it's just a matter of time  
****If we can take it slow everything will be all right  
****Let it flow  
****And I know that we'll find  
****It's just a matter of time**

"I don't know if I can wait for very long. I mean, it took me and Nigie a long time to even get something going. And that didn't last very long. I think I'd get too lonely."

"Well," Numbuh 2 said, slightly bashfully, "if…if you _do_ get lonely…maybe you should tell me, and…and I'll try to see you…"

She looked at him, before a smile appeared on her lips again.

**When you feel down, and out of touch  
****And no ones there, no ones there to lift you up  
****Life's not as bad, as it may seem  
****Just hold on tight, and never lose sight of your dreams**

She giggled then. "That would be nice, Hoagie."

"It would?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it would."

He smiled. "Yeah. Who knows? We might even have fun."

**They say that all good things  
****Will come to those who wait  
****And if we believe in each other  
****I know we can make it together**

He got up, offering his hand to Lizzie. "May I walk you back home?" he asked.

She nodded, taking his hand and standing up. As they began to walk, however, Lizzie didn't see the concrete that separated the playground sand from the park grass, and tripped on it.

"Whoa!" Numbuh 2 said, catching her in his arms.

"Thanks," she said, looking up at him.

And that was the first time Numbuh 2 looked into Lizzie's eyes. 'She's kinda cute,' he found himself thinking. He could then feel the heat rising to his cheeks. 'I can't be thinking that! She's…Actually, she and Numbuh 1 broke up…wait…I can't do that!'

But he watched as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks too. They spent what seemed like eternity just gazing into each other's eyes.

Finally, gathering enough of his audacity, he leaned forward, closing his eyes, and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

**Baby it's just a matter of time  
****If we can take it slow everything will be all right  
****Let it flow  
****And I know that we'll find  
****It's just a matter of time**

As he pulled away, he and Lizzie both opened their eyes, gazing again in each other's eyes.

The color in both their faces seemed to deepen.

Numbuh 2 suddenly pulled Lizzie into a gentle embrace, as she returned the gesture, burying her head into his chest. They remained that way for another eternity, the wind encouraging them with a whispering whistle.

She pulled away suddenly. "I don't know, Hoagie."

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

"Aren't you always busy? I mean, that's why Nigel had a hard time trying to see me. Aren't you guys always doing something?"

Numbuh 2 scratched his head beneath the pilot helmet. "We aren't _always _doing something," he said. "I could see you then. And, that shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

She shook her head. "No…No, it won't be."

**And if we ever lose our way  
****I know we can find a brighter day  
****There is no mountain we can't climb**

"Maybe…maybe, if you're not busy this weekend…" Numbuh 2 said, slightly uncomfortable, "maybe…we could…do something together?

She smiled, leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'd like that a lot, Hoagie," she whispered in his ear.

**It's just a matter of time  
****If we can take it slow everything will be all right  
****Let it flow  
****And I know that we can make it together**

He grinned, once again holding his hand out to her. She accepted, and they began to walk down street together.

'Now I can see why the others seem so happy,' he thought to himself. 'It's kinda nice…this feeling…I guess it was worth waiting a while.'

And the two of them walked along, guided by the amorous light of the setting sun.

**'Cause Baby it's just a matter of time  
****If we can take it slow everything will be all right  
****Let it flow  
****And I know that we'll find  
****It's just a matter of time  
****And I know that we'll find it's just a matter of time**

**The End**

I hope you enjoyed this. And **Pristine Crystal Fox**, I especially hoped you enjoyed this! This one's for you!


End file.
